Permit to Carry

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Under Minnesota law, individuals must obtain a permit to carry a handgun in public. There is no stipulation in the law regarding whether that weapon must be concealed. A permit to carry constitutes a permit to purchase. To obtain a permit to carry, fill out a Permit to Carry Application and submit it to the sheriff’s office in the county where you reside.

Once received, the office has 30 days to process the application. A permit to carry is valid for five years and authorizes unlimited purchases within that time period. For additional information pertaining to handgun legislation, refer to state laws or call the office of the Minnesota Attorney General at 651-296-3353.

Training Requirements

Minnesota Statutes, section 624.714, subd. 2a requires permit to carry applicants to present evidence of having received from a certified instructor training in the safe use of a handgun within one year of an original application or renewal.

State Reciprocity

Minnesota law requires that states must have substantially similar standards in order to be granted permit to carry reciprocity. In determining which states currently meet that standard, the Department considered a number of components of the new law, including handgun training requirements, use of criminal background checks, mutual reciprocity issues, as well as prohibitions for criminal convictions and civil commitments. Another crucial consideration was other states’ ability to provide Minnesota law enforcement personnel with confirmation of permit validity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.